All about Holy Week 2013

What is Holy Week 2013?

Holy week is the week leading up to Easter, is celebrated by Christians worldwide, is meant to commemorate the most important event in history, which is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Catholic references tell that the earliest celebrations of Holy Week, according to the Apostolical Constitutions, occurred in the last half of the third and fourth centuries.

Holy week 2013

When is Holy Week 2013?

Holy Week 2013 will be observed from Sunday March 24th through Sunday March 31st.
Since the dates for Easter changes from year to year, the dates given here are for 2013 only.

Palm Sunday, March 24th;

Holy Monday, March 25th;

Holy Tuesday, March 26th;

Holy Wednesday, March 27th;

Maundy Thursday/Huwebes Santo, March 28th;

Good Friday/Biyernes Santo/Viernes Santo, March 29th;

Holy Saturday/Black Saturday/Sabado de Gloria 2013, March 30th;

Easter Sunday, March 31st.

When is Holy Week 2014?

Because the dates for Easter change every year, Holy Week for 2014 will go from Sunday, April 13th to Sunday, April 20th.

Holy Week traditions around the world for 2013 are recognized by all Catholics and most Christian denominations in most countries. The emphasis is usually just on Easter Sunday and Good Friday but countries with very strong Catholic/Christian traditions like Panama, the Philippines and Puerto rico, place strong emphasis to the whole Holy Week.

Philippines Holy Week 2013 is considered a significant and is celebrated with religious festivals since this is a predominantly Roman Catholic country. It is known as Semana Santa 2013, which is the Spanish translation and Mahal na Araw 2013. In the Philippines, the entire Holy Week 2013, will find businesses either shut down or opening at a later time and closing earlier. It is usually a public holiday during the Easter Triduum with some TV stations interrupting their broadcast altogether until Black Saturday to observe this solemn occasion. As a way of mourning the death of Christ, the Ilocos region practices singing a wailing song called Leccio.

In Panama, Holy Week 2013 is called “Semana Santa,” and is celebrated with many colorful religious festivities and processions. Maundy Thursday is when observations usually start and also include Good Friday and of course, Easter Sunday. The end of summertime festivities is marked by the beginning of Easter and Holy Week in Panama and businesses are usually open only a half day starting Maundy Thursday with Good Friday being a public holiday.

Holy Week 2013 in Puerto Rico is a very important festival and colleges, universities and most other schools are closed for the whole week. Businesses are open for a half day on Thursday with Good Friday being a public holiday and the most solemn day of the year when all businesses are closed.

Happy Holy Week 2013!